Like a Fire in a Bell Jar
by Indigo Jupiter
Summary: AU:She was an odd ball, a freak yet that didn't deter Ulquiorra Cifer. If anything, she fascinated him. She entranced him.


**I don't own bleach.**

**Written for Ulquihime week hosted in tumblr. Thought to post it here as well :D**

**It's an AU. Childhood AU to be precise. Hope i did alright, considering i am writing them for the first time :'D  
Inspired from Luleiya's drawings of them of their childhood. Those sketches are gorgeous! **

**Day 05: Blood. Both of them are around 6-7 years old. **

* * *

**Chapter 01**  
**Like a fire in bell jar**

Orihime Inoue was a peculiar girl. Or so Ulquiorra Cifer thought as he watched the girl from corner who was sliding homemade sparkly beads into twine all the while humming an unknown tune.  
For one thing, her hair color. It was such a unique shade of orange and it kept changing when brought under different surroundings. It would become a cinnamon hue in sunlight but would quickly embrace the red tinge when she would duck inside for shelter. None of their classmates had such bright colored hair except for her. But even if she didn't harbor that vivid hair, her demeanor would have stood her out.

Orihime Inoue was always smiling. Ulquiorra couldn't remember a day or a moment, when she ever frowned or cried for that matter. You could see her laughing over a shared joke among friends or shouting with happiness when sliding down a slide. But what struck Ulquiorra strange the most was; her joy even in the simplest of things she did like slurping on chocolate ice-cream or molding a play doh during their art period or picking wildflowers from garden. Those tasks were mundane and in particular held no meaning, yet Orihime did all of those activities with visible cherishment.

Though sometimes her rebellious side would emerge once in a while as well. Their art teacher told them to draw a landscape. Ulquiorra drew what it has always been; blue skies, green fields, yellow sun, blue pond. The rest of the class followed suit except for her. Orihime choose purple meadows, pink mountains, a green pond and teal skies with black sun hovering in the center. Everyone laughed at her. Some pointed it out that it's wrong. To which she said "How can it be wrong when it exists in my imagination?!".  
She got the highest marks in that classwork.

It was safe to call her a odd ball what with her attire that consisted of polka dot printed frocks and mismatched pins on her cropped bob haircut, yet that didn't deter Ulquiorra. If anything, her aura beckoned him. Like a fire in bell jar, she fascinated him. Ulquiorra didn't know why that was; must be her infectious nature or colorful aesthetic. Though when he delved upon this, he came to this conclusion; that she was everything he was not.  
He was order. She was chaos. He abide by the rules strictly. She didn't hesitated when coloring outside the line. He preferred quietness. She was loud. He resided in shadows. She relished the attention.

They were polar ends of the world.

* * *

Ulquiorra was out accompanying his butler. His mother wanted some medicines. The pharmacy wasn't far away, it was at two blocks spot. Ulquiorra decided to tag along.

After purchasing the medicines, the duo was on their way to home, when their paths crossed with a man who happened to be an old acquaintance of the butler. While the colleagues conversed, Ulquiorra wandered a little ahead, running his hand on the grilled walls of the park, when suddenly he stopped. A group of little girls wearing scout uniforms were marching on a trail, dragging along carts that were cradling boxes. Though that didn't caught Ulquiorra's attention. The red hair did. Orihime was there!

The group continued ambling away, loudly singing their mantra. There was no doubt about it. They were on their cookie selling duty, Ulquiorra observed. After 5 minutes they stopped.  
The view appeared normal until one girl pushed Orihime roughly on the ground.

* * *

Orihime yelped in pain as she landed on her butt. That fall really hurt!  
Bewildered, she looked up "Hey! Why did you do that?!"

Loly, the one who pushed her on a ground didn't answer, but instead asked a question "So Orihime, how much money did you earn?"  
"What?!" Orihime asked blankly "I don't understand"  
"You know, with your charm and looks, you must have sold so many cookies…"  
"Like a witch casting a spell!" another girl named Menoly jeered to which everyone laughed.

Despite trembling with fear, Orihime asked with a bit of defiance "What is it to you how much I earned? This is team work. No matter how much you earn, all of it will go to charity!"

Loly sighed "Are you dumb or you act like that on purpose?!" Flipping her pigtail behind her shoulder, she added "There is a prize for a scout who sells the most cookies and I am going to win. Girls grab her arms!"  
"What…NO!" Orihime struggled while her fellows searched her pockets. They didn't have to look far.

Loly was now tossing the hand-woven pouch in her hand "It's heavy!" she remarked "You witch! You have been hiding!"

Orihime was close to tears now "You got the money, now please let me go!" She pleaded.

"Not so easily!"  
Loly's cold eyes travelled towards Inoue's wagon. There were about a dozen cookie boxes in it. The smile that came on Loly's lips was a devious one, one that reeked evil intentions. She picked up a box, inspecting it from every angle before throwing it on a ground and started stomping it with her foot.

Orihime felt someone sliding a brick down her guts as she watched the scene unfold. A scream was heard. Who was screaming?! Inoue wondered curiously. After a moment, she realized that she was the one screaming with distraught as all the girls followed suit and started destroying the stock.

Orihime broke free from the stronghold by biting the wrist of one girl and elbowing the other girl waist. She got on her knees, frantically salvaging the boxes, all the while getting her hands bruised. She didn't care as she attempted to save the boxes from being crushed.

* * *

Ulquiorra couldn't move. He couldn't shout. He was paralyzed with fear and shock. He would have stood there longer if it weren't for his butler calling him, his voice feeling like a distant echo, even though he was standing nearby.

"Are you alright Master Cifer?" the butler couldn't help asking. The boy appeared paler than usual as if he has seen a ghost.  
Ulquiorra only nodded in reply. The Butler didn't pester him further.

* * *

Ulquiorra ran straight to his room as soon they reached the manor. Squatting, he reached for the shoebox under the bed, opening it to reveal a dozen of envelopes filled with cash. Bundling the money in a roll, he now went towards his mother study where he would find everything he would need.

* * *

Orihime was now walking towards her home. The tears constantly streaming from her eyes made it difficult to navigate the way. Her scout uniform was dirty. She was going to get yelled for it, there was no doubt about it.  
Also there were white scratches on her arms from the fingernails being dragged on them. Blood seeped from her bruises on knees in thin trails.

Orihime Inoue was destroyed, both inside and outside.

She took no notice of her surroundings as she dragged the red wagon on a footpath. Otherwise she would have noticed a strange figure standing a few steps away, legs too thin for a body, wearing an oversized coat that made it look like as if a large bat was hovering in the air.

Ulquiorra's heart sank at the sight of her. The fire in a bell jar was dying….

Bracing himself and mustering the deepest tone he could, he spoke "Girl!"

Sniffling the girl turned around, wiping her tears with the back of her hand "Yes?"

Clearing his throat, he asked "What is that?!" he pointed towards the cart.

"This?...these are the cookies….." Orihime answered weakly. She was inches away from suffering a breakdown.

The next moment however took her by surprise. Her eyes widened when the strange man uttered "I will buy them"  
"What?!" The red haired girl asked, not sure she had heard correctly. What was going on?!

"But they are damaged!" Orihime reasoned.  
"Doesn't matter. It's still a cookie" Ulquiorra replied briskly, now dropping the roll of notes. Orihime caught it and gaped in surprise at the weight of it. It was thrice the amount she earned.

Figuring that it was time to go, Ulquiorra grabbed the pulley of the red wagon and started making his towards his home, albeit a little awkwardly for he was walking on stilts covered by worn out pants.

He had only taken a few steps when he heard a cry. Orihime came to him, now grinning from ear to ear.

"Here Mister" She was holding a blue hibiscus flower. Ulquiorra blinked before taking the flower hesitantly.  
"What's this for?"

Orihime beamed "For being kind. For making my day" The she added softly "Thank you sir"

For reasons unknown, her words soared him. They did funny things to him. He could feel the hair on his skin sticking up, the jitters conjuring somewhere deep in his guts.

Afraid he might give himself away, he mumbled "You are welcome girl" And walked away in his clumsy gait.

Orihime stood there until the man disappeared from her sight.

Fairytales were wrong then. Not all angels have wings and halos above their head. Sometimes they wore baggy clothes and a hat. And sported a bushy moustache and a pair of jade green eyes.

Though those green eyes looked awfully familiar, but the girl couldn't remember.

'I swear I must have seen them before but where…' Inoue mused whilst skipping happily on a trail.

* * *

"Yes I will be an hour late but I will come nonetheless. Just ask the students to keep practicing. We will begin rehearsing once I reach there, okay?!" Mrs. Cifer flipped her phone off with an audible click. Her gaze then travelled towards her son who was sitting next to her.

"You do realize how much trouble you are giving me today?" she remarked. They were sitting in the waiting room of a dentist clinic.

Ulquiorra could nod in reply. He couldn't speak due to the pain lodged in one of his teeth.

Mrs. Cifer sighed, taking pity on the boy condition. Wrapping her slender arm around Ulquiorra's tiny shoulders, she brought him closer "It's going to be okay. It will be over sooner than you think"

Ulquiorra wasn't worried about the incoming prospect that awaited him. He wasn't even bothered by the pain brought upon by the tooth decay. The tooth decay from all the cookies he ate. He didn't regret any of it.  
Because he got to see Orihime smiling once again. He got to see her win the honorary badge for cookie selling duty. He got a glance at her drawing when she doodle his makeshift disguise, scribbling the word 'angel' underneath the drawing.

The trouble he went through to keep the fire alive in the bell jar…it was worth it.

**The end**

* * *

**Hope you guys like it! :D **

**~Noni. **


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